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Takeshi Manganji
Takeshi Manganji is a member and leader of the Manganji Dreams and the main rival of Kouya Marino. He is a former member of the Tobita Club and one of the teammates to Kouya's older brother, Yuhya Marino. Takeshi comes from a wealthy family that runs their own company, known as the Manganji Group. Takeshi’s Crush Gear is Gaiki, and was previously known to use Gougetsu. Appearance Takeshi is shown to have black hair and brown eyes. His hair is spiked upwards at the back and a few strands of hair protudes from his forehead (the number of hair strands ranges from four to six, and more rarely, three or seven). His usual outfit consists of a red jacket with several badges on it, and one of them has the word "GEAR" on the jacket's left sleeve. He also has a sleeveless black shirt (this is revealed near the end of the movie), dark blue slacks, gray socks and a pair of brown shoes. Takeshi's younger self (four years ago) is seen wearing a white shirt with short red sleeves, black pants and a pair of green and white sneakers. He was occasionally seen wearing a red tuxedo, notably when he joined the Tobita Club and during his birthday party in the movie. Personality In terms of Gear Fighting, Takeshi is often seen to be calm and confident during battles. He often resorts to destroying his opponent's Gears by using his special attack King of the Dragon Fighters (except for Kouya, who manages to avoid and survive the attack a few times) but never gets disqualified despite it being frowned upon. He also shows several signs of passion when pitting against a truly skilled Gear Fighter such as Kouya. Takeshi's cold attitude is shown on several occasions throughout the series. An instance of this is his refusal to extend the time for Kyousuke to return from the Black Forest before the World Cup semifinal match against Kuroudo. Takeshi is also shown to be manipulative, which is revealed when Kyousuke finds out that his actual intentions for bringing him to the Manganji Laboratory were so that Takeshi could steal Garuda Eagle's data. However, it is discovered near the end of the series that Takeshi is emotionally disturbed by Yuhya's death and has been hiding his true feelings. Takeshi is also seen to possess a generous nature towards the Tobita Club and Kouya in several circumstances. This is shown when he offers to give money to the Tobita Club during its time of crisis. Takeshi's concern for Kouya's wellbeing is also revealed when Kouya almost falls from the roof of the Manganji building after their battle. History Involvement in the Tobita Club Takeshi's interest in Gear Fighting began when he first came across the Tobita Clubhouse while riding with his bodyguard, Kurosaki. Inside, Takeshi saw a Gear Fighter who was practising Crush Gear. He introduced himself as Yuhya, a skilled Gear Fighter. Takeshi befriended Yuhya and eventually joined the Tobita Club along with Alex Borg and Shingo Nagidori. With the help of his newfound friends Takeshi grew into a talented Gear Fighter; they even supported him when he was defeated during his World Cup match. Seeing how far he had come in his first year, Yuhya requested Takeshi's help in training his younger brother, Kouya after the World Cup. On another occasion in the movie, Takeshi celebrated his birthday party where he was having a Gear Fight with his friend, Jake Groundstein. The former expressed his joy in Gear Fighting, in which his words somehow inspired Jake to become Gear Emperor later on. On the day of the World Cup finals, an unfortunate accident occurred which led to the tragic death of Yuhya. The accident impacted Takeshi's life in a major way. Feeling abandoned and lost, he was forced to take charge of training all the members of the Tobita Club alone. This prompted Takeshi to suppress his true feelings and become a cold hearted boy who showed no signs of weakness. Over the next four years, Takeshi's skill's as a Gear Fighter continued to grow and he eventually became the top player in the Tobita Club. The Fall of the Tobita Club Four years after Yuhya's death, Takeshi and Lilika are left in charge of selecting new team members for the Tobita Club. Kouya is scheduled to fight for a place in the club but he shows up an hour late. Takeshi decides to make an example of Kouya so he challenges him to last just one minute in a Gear Fight. To everyone's amazement, Kouya not only survives, but he ends up defeating Takeshi and becomes a member of the Tobita Club. However, Lilika soon realised that Takeshi purposely let Kouya win so that he could quit and form a club of his own. This led to the resignation of almost every member, pushing the Tobita Club to the verge of closing down. After Kouya learned what actually happened, he begs Takeshi to return, but is sadly denied., Takeshi states that the Tobita Club is still controlled by Yuhya's reputation and that the club has no meaning to him. He even degrades Kouya by telling him that he does not have what it takes to be a Gear Fighter. Formation of the Manganji Club On the night of the Manganji Club's opening ceremony, an exhibition match is scheduled to take place between Takeshi and Bernard Stellan, a French Champion until Kouya intrudes and challenges Takeshi to a duel. Believing Kouya to be no match for him, Takeshi accepts and they make their way to the Manganji rooftop Crush Gear ring. As their battle begins Takeshi realises that Kouya is using Yuhya's old Crush Gear, Garuda Eagle. For most of the match Kouya manages to hold his own against Takeshi, but their battle ends in an inevitable draw. As Takeshi leaves via helicopter, he tells Kouya that he had his chance and the next time they would face would have to be in a tournament. Manganji Cup arc After several weeks the Manganji Group decides to host their own Crush Gear tournament known as the Manganji Cup in the hopes of attracting the attention of several Crush Gear clubs and companies. Many major Gear Fighters are in attendance, including the chairman of the Japanese Crush Gear Association. However the event is soon interrupted by the unexpected appearance of the newly formed Tobita Club. They had hoped to use the Burning Octopus team's invitation to compete in the tournament. However, Takeshi refuses by stating that they are not invited. After a brief argument the Tobita Club are offered an ultimatum. They would be allowed to compete in an exhibition game against a team of Takeshi's choosing known as the Mighty Gears. Unable to persuade Takeshi any further, the Tobita Club agree and accept his offer. The first three matches of the exhibition game are an astonishment to watch. Many people are in awe as they witness a fierce battle between two skilled teams. But it is not the expectaions the Tobita Club is hoping for, as it sees the defeat of Jirou, Kuroudo and Kyousuke at the hands of the Mighty Gears.The final round of the exhibition match is supposed to see Kouya face off against Satoru Todoroki. But Takeshi intervenes, stating that the Tobita Club had already lost every match and that it would be unnecessary for Kouya even to compete. This drives Kouya to call Takeshi a coward and a cheat. Takeshi then reveals to Kouya the true intentions of the Manganji Cup. He states that the Manganji Group had invested 80 billion yen into building a top secret Crush Gear known as Gaiki, a Gear that would forever impact the world of Gear Fighting. Unphased by the announcement of Gaiki, Kouya challenges Takeshi to a Gear Fight. Believing that he would be the only one to profit from the match, Takeshi asks Kouya if he is willing to risk destroying his brother's Gear just to face him. Seeing no other option, Kouya accepts the possibility and the two begin their match. The first round of the match seems close until Takeshi shows Gaiki's special features. It turns out that Gaiki is a unique Crush Gear fitted with VT Chassis that can shift the battery box forward in order to gain a huge boost of speed. Takeshi uses this feature to win the first round easily. During the second match Kouya chooses to use the dash wheels in the hopes of fighting Gaiki using speed for speed. For most of the match Kouya holds his own until Takeshi reveals Gaiki's second feature. When it shifts its battery box to the rear it allows Gaiki to boost its spin ratio. Not willing to surrender, Kouya fights with all his might, only to be left defeated by Takeshi's mighty Crush Gear. In the end Kouya is brought to his knees, sobbing in sadness over the loss he must accept. Hokkaido arc Soon after the Manganji Cup, Takeshi invites Kyousuke to accompany him to the Manganji Group's research laboratory in Hokkaido. Takeshi tells Kyousuke that some of the best Gear Masters are already working for him, and that he owes it to himself to join the Manganji Group. He also gives Kyousuke a flight ticket in case the Gear Master is ready. Takeshi is seen competing in Hokkaido Cup, an open Crush Gear tournament where he (temporarily) recruits Kyousuke into his dream team. The former is pitted against the local Gear Fighter, Daisuke Sasaki from Team Ice Fang in the tournament's finals. Takeshi makes short work of Sasaki by using Gaiki's VT Chassis and the King of the Dragon Fighters technique which ultimately destroy Sasaki's Gear, Shining Dagger. After the Hokkaido Cup, Takeshi notices that several Tobita Club members are in attendance. Later, Takeshi brings Kyousuke to the Manganji Laboratory and gives him a tour where the former introduces several other Gear Masters and the facility's virtual battle arena to Kyousuke. Takeshi offers Kyousuke if he wishes to test his skills in the simulator, to which the Gear Master accepts and begins a virtual match. As Kyousuke is struggling with his virtual battle, Takeshi secretly obtains the data for Garuda Eagle through the assistance of the laboratory chief who sets the simulator to the topmost difficulty and downloads the said data from Kyousuke's Gear case. The next day, Takeshi and the laboratory chief find a weakness in Garuda Eagle. Kyousuke eventually finds out on their possession of Garuda Eagle data after he returns to his room; during the argument between the Kyousuke and the chief, Takeshi reveals that they have tried to deal with the Gear Master's temper before he orders the latter to leave the facility. In a rogue effort by Kyousuke, Kouya and Kaoru, the Garuda Eagle data is eventually deleted from the master computer. After discovering what had happened to the data, Takeshi fires the chief as he could not accept the chief's explanation. Asia Cup arc The Manganji Dreams is one of the teams that participate in the Asia Cup along with other Asian teams such as the Tobita Club, the Four Stars Team and Team Griffon. Takeshi's reputation in the Crush Gear world make him and his dream team the odds on favorite to win. They manage to win preliminary rounds and the semifinals with relative ease thanks to Gaiki's King of the Dragon Fighters and the mastery of the VT Chassis, although the said factors have raised concerns to some (the tournament host silently questions on the legality of Gaiki's special attack, while Mitsuki thinks that the Manganji Dreams will easily win the tournament and the World Cup if the VT Chassis blueprint is not leaked). Takeshi is confronted by the Tobita Club outside the arena after his semifinal match. In an act of arrogance, he tells them to do their best if they hope to make it to the finals. After Takeshi finds out from Kurosaki about the location of the server that hosted a certain blueprint, he recommends Kouya to watch the South American Cup finals for an interesting match. Later in Chinatown, Takeshi and his bodyguard arrive at an abandoned apartment where the server is located in room 402. However, they are interrupted by an unexpected (and embarassing) arrival of Kyousuke and Lan Fang into the room. Takeshi has expected that the two are eavesdropping, and despite agreeing on Kyousuke's statement on the Gear God outsmarting the Manganji Group, Takeshi seems unable to comprehend why someone would post such blueprints online. During the broadcast of the South American Cup finals, the latter reveals that U-YA had managed to use Shining Sword Breaker for every game competed in the South America Cup and had won 50 matches in row, much to Kyousuke's disbelief. After a long and grueling tournament, two teams earn the right to compete for the Asia Cup finals - the Manganji Dreams and the Tobita Club - but only one would emerge victorious. The time had finally come for the long expected rematch Kouya and Takeshi had been waiting for. They would battle each other not only to decide the new Asia Cup champion, but also to determine who was truly better as a Gear Fighter. In the first round Kouya attempts to quickly defeat Takeshi using his Shining Sword Breaker. However Takeshi manages to dodge it using Gaiki's VT Chassis spin at the right moment. After that Garuda Phoenix seems helpless against Gaiki, but Kouya manages to keep his Gear in the ring long enough for the round to end. As the final round begins Kouya sees something in Takeshi's eyes, a confidence his brother Yuhya had always shown in every one of his battles, the confidence to win. This spurs Kouya to battle Takeshi with everything he had. The two seems evenly matched and their skills as Gear Fighters push both players above and beyond their own limits. This prompts Takeshi to use the full force of his King of the Dragon Fighters technique against Kouya's Shining Sword Breaker. The crowd are in amazement as the entire arena shakes from the raw power that both of their Gears have displayed. As the smoke clears it seems as though neither Gear would come out on top, but after one of the greatest Gear Fights in history a winner eventually emerges. Takeshi manages to defeat Kouya and is crowned the new Asia Cup singles champion. The manga's rendition of the Asia Cup finals, however, is different from the anime in terms of the outcome and the qualification for the World Cup. During the said match, Takeshi uses Vanishing Counter against Kouya, but the latter eventually manages to bypass his attack. In the third round Gaiki casts the Dragon's Revival, a powerful special attack that results from Takeshi's intensive training in which he suffered from a serious wrist injury. Although Takeshi becomes the Asia Cup champion, his wrist bone is completely fractured after the match. As a result, the usage of Dragon's Revival is banned by the GFA and he withdraws from participating in the World Cup. Kouya, who wins the second place in the Asia Cup, is qualified for the World Cup instead. Post-Asia Cup arc After his successful victory at the Asia Cup, Takeshi decides to host a congratulatory party for the Manganji Dreams. Several winners and runners up from regional championships are in attendance, such as the Tobita Club and the North American champion Brad Fincher. In the midst of the party Brad and Jirou get into a heated dispute when Brad chooses to call Jirou's close friend, Taki a third class Gear Fighter. An inevitable Gear Fight soon takes place between the two talented youngsters. Using his Crush Gear, Stealth Jiraiya, Brad quickly gains the upper hand over Raging Bull. In the end Jirou's skills are easily overwhelmed by Brad's ninja-based fighting style. "Crush Gear Turbo - The Movie" Arc In the movie, Takeshi is one of the targets of Gear Emperor due to his and Kouya's achievements as the winner and the runner up of the Asia Cup respectively. On the day of the two's confrontation with Gear Emperor, Takeshi is jetskiing at the sea when a gear-shaped platform appears beneath him and the sailboat that places his sidekicks and his bodyguards. They are brought into the GENIUS Fortress where Takeshi and Kouya are challenged to have a battle against Gear Emperor. It is at this moment that Takeshi recognizes Gear Emperor as his old friend, Jake. Together with Kouya, Takeshi has no choice but to accept Jake's challenge after seeing Momita and Gomano being held captive along with the rest of the Tobita Club. During the two-on-one Gear Fight, Takeshi works together with Kouya in defeating Caesarvern, the world's first Crush Gear that is created. Jake reminds Takeshi on what happened during the latter's birthday party and reveals how Takeshi's words inspired him to become who he is. Regretting over his own words that was uttered years ago, Takeshi launches King of the Dragon Fighters against Caesarvern, but his attack is blocked and only manages to remove the moving obstacles out of the ring. Nonetheless, Takeshi helps Kouya in defeating Jake by having Gaiki throw out Garuda Phoenix so that Kouya can equip his Gear's front weapon to Goldblade. World Cup arc Several weeks later Takeshi arrived in Sydney for the first stage of the World Cup. At the convention centre he overhears an argument going on between Brad Fincher, Gavin Connelhammer and members of the Tobita Club. He acknowledges Lilika's skills as the club's deputy owner, stating that the Tobita Club never would have made it to the World Cup without her. Unable to take credit for her team's accomplishments, Lilika states that their fighting spirit and hard work is what helped them get to where they are. As he leaves, Kouya reminds Takeshi that they still have one more fight to decide who is the better Gear Fighter. First Stage At the opening ceromony of the World Cup, the new head of the GFA Gina Firestone announced a new format for the first stage. Players from each team will battle in a two on two tag team style match due to the overcrowded amount of contestants. During the first stage matches Takeshi teamed up with fellow teammate Dan Midou, to take on Team Rocky. His victory was assumed to be short as his team won both matches before Kouya and Jirou's match had even begun. At their post fight press conference Takeshi acknowledged his teams skill, stating that his teammates Rai and Rin Shinomiya strength, was that they were identical twins and that they were perfectly in sync with one another. As the fist stage of the World Cup progressed Takeshi kept tabs on other competitors, but some more than others. His fascination with the mysterious gear fighter known as U-YA was finally brought to light during the Block-A match, where Quo Vadis took on the Native Spirits Team. As the match began U-YA threw off his hooded cloak only to reveal a boy no one recognised. Desperately seeking answers Takeshi ordered his bodyguard to contact his Sao Paulo office to find out more information on U-YA. A few days later Takeshi received a report with detailed information on U-YA. He informed Kurosaki, that they would be leaving for Sydney. Takeshi confronted the one person he knew he could trust, his former teams manager Lilika Tobita. He showed her the report and they both agreed that Kouya could never find out the truth behind the boy named Carlos Williams. The next day Takeshi and his team made their way to the Sydney Airport to depart for San Francisco where the second stage of The World Cup would take place. As they arrived Takeshi spotted Kouya (Who had just missed his flight after needing to use the bathroom) talking to a flight attendant. Unable to help him she stated that all the flights were completely booked. Realising how much trouble he was in Takeshi allowed Kouya to accompany him in the Manganji Groups Personal Jet. As they made thier way to San Francisco Takeshi noticed that Kouya had injured himself in his last match. Kouya thanked Takeshi for helping him, he also took it upon himself to ask Takeshi if he knew anything about U-YA . Unable to break the promise he maid to Lilika, Takeshi lied stating he didn't know anything. As they arrived at the San Francisco Airport,Takeshi told Kouya that he was looking forward to their next match and that he would see him in the ring. Second Stage During the second stage matches Takeshi attended a match between Dan Midou and U-YA. After a seemingly short round, U-YA left the Data Magician's crush gear in pieces as he easily defeated him using The Shining Sword Breaker technique. However U-YA's victory was interrupted by the appearance of a furious Kouya (Who had discovered the truth identity of U-YA was Carlos Williams). Blaming Carlos for the tragic death of his brother, Kouya attempted to strike him, but was quickly subdued by Takeshi. Williams infuriated Kouya even more by stating that Carlos was not his name and that he was the true Yuhya Marino. The scuffle was quickly broken up by Quo Vadis's coach Takaya Tobita, who promised that Kouya would get his chance to face Carlos in the third stage of the World Cup. The World Cup proved to be getting even better during the third stage, it saw several great battles such as Jirou Oriza's battle against the North American Champ Brad Fincher and Kyousuke Jin's long awaited battle with Kuroudo Marume. But the battle between Kouya and Ma Liang seemed mediocre at best. As the first two rounds both Kouya And Ma didn't even seem to try. However both fighters seemed to find thier feet and put on a great final match. After an exciting battle Kouya eventually rose to the occasion and defeated Ma Liang. However the Four Stars Coach Ming Wu (Who blackmailed Kouya into losing his match against Ma Liang) was not impressed with Kouya's victory. So much so that he accused Kouya of competing in a Gear Pancratum match. When he confronted Gina Firestone he requested that Kouya Marino and his whole team should be disqualified. However Ming Wu's evidence was replaced with several photos of dancing pandas. The real copy was taken by Eddie Kobayashi who was under orders by Takeshi Manganji. He eventually took the evidence to Gina Firestone who asked him if he was trying to protect Kouya from being disqualified. Takeshi stated that he thought it could be useful to him. He then asked her if he could meet her brother Sean Firestone in person. As he left Gina asked why Takeshi why he wished to meet her brother to which he stated that her brother fit the description of the legendary Gear Master "The Gear God". Takeshi departed for Germany to take place in the Final Stage leaving the evidence with Gina. (Who ended up deleting it) Final Stage Trivia * In an interview with the series producer Naotake Furusato, he described the surname "Manganji" as having an image of wealth. He jokingly added that Japanese people are suckers for names that end in "ji”. "Interview Side B." Sunrise Inc. Retrieved on January 20, 2009. * Takeshi shares his given name with another character from Crush Gear Nitro; however, the two characters have different backgrounds and personalities. References Category:Characters (Crush Gear Turbo) Category:Manganji Dreams